Messi Charged With Tax Fraud In Spain

Lionel Messi and his father are being investigated in Spain for allegedly defrauding the state of more than €4m (£3.4m).

The Barcelona star and his father, Jorge Horacio, are suspected of filing fraudulent tax returns for 2007-09, officials say. The Spanish tax authorities accuse Messi and his father of using companies in Belize and Uruguay to sell the rights to use the footballer’s image.

Since these companies based outside Spain, Messi and his father avoided paying more than 4m euros in tax.